Climate change and its associated social upheavals are preoccupying people in all parts of the world. The effects of man-made changes on the climate are drastically influencing life and coexistence on this planet. In order to stop the continued destruction of the environment, we need to shift from an anthropocentric view of the world to a way of dealing with nature that regards all forms of life as equal.
Many place great hope in the powers of science and technology, but to achieve real sustainability in dealing with nature, technology alone will not be enough. The problems of climate change can only be solved together and art can help. We believe that dance as one of the most original forms of expression has the potential to support this search for answers, because many cultures have a large repertoire of dances that express the relationship between humans and nature in many different ways.
This is also the case in numerous African cultures. Harvest dances, animal dances or rituals, such those to call for rain, are often part of complex ceremonies based on the close observation of how nature shifts and change, as well as an understanding of local ecosystems. We would therefore like to ask ourselves: is it possible that practicing such dances makes us more attentive to the needs of nature?
That dance can teach us to pay more attention to our environment? And what could forms of contemporary dance look like that deal in new ways with our relationship to nature in all its facets? The interactive website environmental-dance. The aim of Environmental Dance is to make climate change tangible and visible on different levels, using dance, scientific data and personal testimonies from many countries around the world.
The website shows a globe. Clicking on a region takes you to numerous videos and interviews β and can also display scientific data on climate change. The dance that can be seen here is thus geographically located and placed in the context of a landscape and the artists working there.
